“Rejoice! Rejoice! O Israel!”
Today is December 20, and in many Advent liturgies in various denominations, the sense of expectation grows as we encounter the “O Antiphons.” What are the “O Antiphons?” The easy answer is this — most Christians know the song, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel!” It’s even played in shops — even if only an instrumental version.
The “O Antiphons” historically might go back even to the 5th century, known to be recited by Benedictines and in the 8th century even used in liturgical celebrations in Rome. Each of the O Antiphons refers to a title of the Messiah and reminds of us a Messianic promise. (for more information see: https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/what-are-the.html )
So here we are, so close to the celebration of the Incarnation of the Lord, in the middle of the “O Antiphons.” I simply want to reflect on the importance of this ancient hymn as a cry of intercession for our Jewish brothers and sisters throughout the world who have not yet recognized the first coming of Messiah.
The song, as we sing it, actually begins with the last of the “O Antiphons.” We know it well:
O come, o come Emmanuel
To free your captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice, rejoice o Israel
To you shall come Emmanuel!
It is a hymn crying that the Messiah will come and free His people from exile. For years as I heard this song, I felt it referred to the Babylonian exile, which I’m sure it does in part. But it must also be a prayer for the modern exile of Israel, which began in AD 70 with the destruction of the temple and with the dispersion of the Jewish people after the Roman conquest of the city of Jerusalem in AD 135. It seems that the modern state of Israel might indeed be the beginning of the end of that exile, for now the people of Israel have a land to which they can return.
Indeed Ezekial prophesied (Ez 37:21-22): “Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all sides, and bring them to their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land. . .”
But the exile is not just geographical, but spiritual. The people of Israel are in a spiritual exile until they know Messiah, and in the same chapter, Ezekial prophesies the following (Ez 37:13-14): “And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I the Lord have spoken. . .”
We are so privileged to live in such a time as this — we see the people of Israel returning after almost 2000 years of this modern exile AND we see so many Jewish people receiving the Spirit of the Lord and recognizing Jesus as their Messiah. What a blessed time we live in and how privileged we are to witness this!
And so this year, as you sing this old beloved hymn, may it be a cry of intercession for those who have not yet recognized Jesus’s first coming, that they may see Him, and that truly they may REJOICE in their MESSIAH — for He has come and He is coming! Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, and set your people free!